Chain of Rocks

Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I feel like I'm not setting a good example for my children. A couple of weeks ago I was spotted (and questioned) by an Illinois State Trooper when I was shooting time exposures of traffic over Interstate 55. Last night, after taking this photo of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, I was pulled over by an Illinois Conservation Police Officer. I was in the park after dusk, and could have been fined $125, but I got off with a warning. A nice photo, but glad it didn't cost me $125. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/5.0; ISO: 400; Focal length: 18 mm.

2011 Calendar: The Vanishing Night

July from the 2011 Calendar, "The Vanishing Night"
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Photos in this newest calendar from Tom Atwood Media feature images of the night sky that are literally disappearing. Each photograph, while beautiful, shows the erosion of the natural sky by artificial lighting. Light pollution. Except in very rare, dark places, this scattered light is almost inescapable. The night sky that has inspired people for thousands of years is vanishing before our eyes. The calendar is available online at zazzle.com  Shutter: 20 seconds; Aperture: f/22; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Black Friday

Watershed Nature Center, Edwardsville, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

No one was here this morning. Maybe it was too cold? Or maybe they were shopping. It is Black Friday, so I had this stream all to myself. It's not really a stream; it's more like runoff from all the rain recently. My guess is this waterfall was actually created by the railroad decades ago. It flows under a bike path (formerly a rail line) built up high above the Watershed Nature Center, to keep trains out of the wetland years ago as they approached the bridge over Cahokia Creek. The large rocks in this photo are not natural, they were part of the railroad project, added to prevent erosion. As if I really know.
Shutter: 2 seconds; Aperture: f/29; ISO: 100; Focal length: 55 mm.

Seeing the Universe

May, from the calendar "Madison County 2011"
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Sometimes a landscape can be very small. In this picture, smaller than the leaf of a redbud tree. If you look closely enough, and have some imagination, you can see landscapes even in drops of water that fall during a spring shower. As Emily Firsching commented when she saw this photo, "A universe in each droplet." The image represents May (the month it was taken) in the new calendar "Madison County 2011." To order the calendar online visit zazzle.com. Shutter: 1/125; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 200; Focal length: 55 mm.

Thanksgiving, South Roxana

Thanksgiving morning, South Roxana, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

The area around the ConocoPhillips-Wood River Refinery is one of my favorite places, rich with exotic photographic landscapes, towers spewing clouds of steam into the air, enormous flames leaping into the sky, the refinery--lit up like a Christmas tree year round. And during the holidays, a giant crane hoists actual Christmas lights high above Highway 111. When my son Riley was very young, after we first moved here, he gazed out the car windows as we drove past this industrial paradise and declared, "Dad, we are lucky to live so close to this!" I can't disagree. Shutter: 1/125; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 800; Focal length: 18 mm.

Calendar: Madison County 2011

March, from the calendar "Madison County 2011"
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Call this bridge over the Chain of Rocks Canal "Miss March." Or Mr? It represents the month of March in a new calendar I produced for zazzle.com. The calendar features twelve of my landscape photos taken in and around Madison County, Illinois. The calendar's dimensions are 11" X 17".  It sells for $24 plus shipping and is available now at this link: zazzle.com.  Additional photos from the calendar are being posted this week on the Tom Atwood Media page on facebook. Exposure: 1/640; Aperture: f/11; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Hitchhiking

Interstate 55 near Edwardsville
Photograph by Tom Atwood

When I was 22 I hitchhiked across Europe, and flew back to New York for $95 on Freddy Laker's Skytrain. I had $7 in my pocket when I got off the plane at Kennedy Airport. Just enough money to get a bus out of the city along with a firefighter from Scotland that I met standing in line for the flight in London. He was going to hitchhike across America, and spent his first night in the USA with me, sleeping outside along Interstate 95 in New Jersey. This is what it looked like that night, except for the cell phone tower. Exposure: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 200; Focal length: 18 mm.

Pillow

The Big Dipper
Rocky Mountain National Park
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Photographing the Big Dipper is easy and difficult at the same time. Easy because it's usually visible and not hard to locate. (Unlike, say, the North Star.) Difficult because to make the Big Dipper interesting, you need some help. In a photograph, the famous constellation is always the same: seven white dots. Never changes. So, I look for help on the ground. Or in this case, in the mountains. And I was grateful for the additional effort by those clouds rolling in at the top of the front range of the Rockies. Almost like a pillow for the Big Dipper if it ever falls from the sky. Now, that would be a photo. Exposure: 25 seconds; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 800; Focal length: 18 mm.

Look for weather

Woods near Silver Creek
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Trust me: this is a very ordinary woods wrapped around Silver Creek which cuts through Madison County. I have driven past it dozens of times. But yesterday morning, in the the fog at dawn, everything seemed different. The light was unusual. And the fog added an element that is only seen here...when it's foggy! So, my advice is this: when you see weather that is unusual, take pictures. An unusual sunset, cloud formation, tornado. That's when you will get memorable photos. Trust me. Exposure: 1/10; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 100; Focal length: 45 mm.

Detail

Farm on Fruit Road
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Even something ordinary can be made interesting, especially if the photograph has enough detail. This barn on a foggy morning is helped by the close view of the old fence that surrounds it. The camera dwells on the fence's details: the protruding, rusted nails; the faded white paint, chipped and peeling; even tiny spots of dust are visible, blown onto the fence by farm equipment passing by on Fruit Road. Okay, that's just a guess. I admit it. Exposure: 8 seconds; Aperture: f/20; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm

Above the clouds

Beaver Meadows
Rocky Mountain National Park
Photograph by Tom Atwood

It's been several months since I took this photo of Beaver Meadows from Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. The elevation here is near 11,000 feet, higher than the clouds hugging the Rockies. What I remember most about this morning is not the majesty of the mountains, or the beauty of the valley and the winding river. What I remember is that it was 32 degrees. In June. Cold and windy. That's what I remember. Exposure: 1/60; Aperture: f/4.2; ISO: 100; Focal length: 70 mm.

Why this house?

J Hill Road, Geary County, Kansas
Photograph by Tom Atwood

There were hundreds of houses I could have photographed that morning in Kansas. Why this one? The short answer is - I looked at it and thought it might make a good picture. But more specifically, it appears to have a story, or at least poses questions: How old is the house? Who lived there? When did they leave? Maybe I liked this house because it has a face. Maybe it's the stone blocks. Or the sky in the windows? Too many reasons. I had to take it. Also, as I recall, the rest of my family was still asleep at the motel, and I needed to kill some more time. Exposure: 1/100; f/6.3; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Horizon

Farm on Lyon Creek Road near Junction City, Kansas
Photograph by Tom Atwood

For a "flat landscape" photographer like me, Kansas is a dream. It's like an exaggerated version of Illinois. In Geary County the horizon is prominent and straight. Bold. It cuts right through the wheat fields and skies, clearly dividing heaven and earth. What more could you ask from a horizon, especially at dawn?
Exposure: 1/30; Aperture: f/5.3; ISO: 100; Focal length: 40 mm.

Unmanned photograph

Barn near Edwardsville, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

It's almost as if this picture was taken by a drone camera. No one was looking through the viewfinder, not even a virtual pilot at a monitor miles away. Instead, I took this photo with my arms extended as high above my head as possible. I knew if I got the camera up high enough, higher than I could see, I might get the sunrise in the reflection of the barn window. So I pointed in the general direction and shot this picture, a lovely unmanned photograph. Exposure: 1/30; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Color

Alex Wever
Photograph by Tom Atwood

November can be kind of gray, especially on a cloudy afternoon. The temptation when taking pictures is to go with it, shoot black & white, look for stark scenes. But instead, Alex Wever and I decided to try the Richards Brick building last weekend for some of her senior pictures. It's a massive blue structure not far from downtown Edwardsville. Even better, there's a red fire hydrant next to it. Add Alex and the result is an unusual senior portrait, unretouched except for some added contrast & saturation. The world is a colorful place, even in November. Exposure: 1/125; Aperture: f/1.8; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm.

America's next top model?

Alex Wever
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Let's just say the conditions weren't ideal. Alex Wever, a cross-country runner at Edwardsville High School, wanted to wait until after the season was over to have her senior pictures taken. That meant waiting until November. On the 2nd day of her shoot--Saturday--the weather took a turn for...fall. But Alex refused to let that stop her, and refused to bundle up. The result: this photo in a tank top and very thin sweater on a painted bridge over Silver Creek. Temperature: 46 degrees. Winds: gusty. 

Alex: see for yourself. 

Exposure: 1/50; Aperture: f/2.5; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm.

Photographer's Assistant

Samantha Boschert, Alex Wever
from Alex Wever's senior pictures photo shoot
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Most of the time I prefer to shoot alone. But every now and then it's helpful to have an assistant, especially on senior pictures shoots. Today, Samantha Boschert (above, left) volunteered to help with her friend Alex Wever's photo session. In fact, Sam seemed eager to help create special effects for the fall leaf pictures. She seemed to enjoy throwing leaves again and again.  Whatever her motives, I appreciated Sam's help. Alex's "official" pictures will be posted in a few days. Exposure: 1/100; Aperture: f/2.8; ISO: 200; Focal length: 35 mm.

Find a feature

Possum Hill Road
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I have to admit I love telephone poles. I'm not even sure they're telephone poles: maybe they're wooden power poles, or utility poles. But I love the way they look against a flat horizon,  underneath the vanishing night sky. They are actually features that pierce the landscape, and in the plains, make the scenery more interesting for photographers. Also, at night, when it's cold and windy, the lines literally hum, suspended between the poles. What makes those lines vibrate? Is it wind? Electricity? Conversations?
Exposure: 12:48; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 200; Focal length: 18 mm.

Ancient Ruins

Silo near Carpenter, Illinois
November 10, 2010
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Like that "missile" off the coast of California this week, things in photographs are not always as they seem.  Is this an ancient ruin along Highway 140? A stone tower with a ladder on the outside for Rapunzel? Or an old grain silo made of bricks that refuses to crumble after everything around it has? Well, since we're in Illinois that last option is probably correct. In this photo there are other strange sights, too, including stars that trail circling Polaris, and the tiny community known as Carpenter glowing pink along the horizon. That's what a long exposure will do. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 200; Focal length: 18 mm.

Compression

Quercus Grove Road near Carpenter, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood
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A wide-angle lens is often the best tool to use in capturing a landscape, but not always. Sometimes the features of a landscape become more interesting if they are slightly compressed. And that's exactly what a longer, telephoto lens can do. In this photo of Quercus Grove Road, the telephone poles seem closer together. So do the gently rolling hills. Even the distant fog where the road disappears looks less far away. In fact, if you stood where I took this picture, you might be disappointed--it only looks like this through a long lens. Shutter: 1/250; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 800; Focal length: 200 mm.

Look the other way

Pin Oak Road
Photograph by Tom Atwood

This odd photo, which looks like a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was actually an accident. I went out tonight to shoot the crescent moon setting at dusk. I parked my tripod in the shadow of a tree to avoid a glow from the farmer's yardlight (and to avoid being seen trespassing in his field). As I was shooting the barn (see the banner photo at the top of this website), I looked around and noticed the unusual shadows from the farm light. Suddenly, it looked much more interesting than the picture I was taking. To get this photo, all I did was look the other way. Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Stark contrast

Taylor Gestes
Senior pictures photo shoot
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Sometimes a picture needs a little help. Not the subject, but the picture. In this case, the photo of Taylor Gestes, taken using window light in her home, was a little unremarkable (see original photo below). It seemed plain. So, to help it out, I made the image black & white, and added a large dose of high contrast (using the processing software Lightroom 2). So the original color photo (below), kind of milky & forgettable, becomes something more stark, interesting and beautiful (above). Shutter: 1/60; Aperture: f/2.2; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm.

Time

Big Thompson River
Rocky Mountain National Park
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Most snapshots are like gunshots - lasting a fraction of a second. Every photograph captures visually a certain amount of time, usually brief but not always. This picture of the Big Thompson River in Colorado is a 20-second exposure, blurring the water as it rushes over the rocks. A photograph like this is difficult during the day, when it is usually too bright for long exposures. But, by closing up the iris (or aperture) of the lens, and waiting until dusk, it's possible. Just bring a tripod, and avoid slipping on the rocks, made smooth by the river over the years. Shutter: 20 seconds; Aperture: f/9.0; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Not too pretty

Farm near Edwardsville, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I have railed against pretty before in this blog. It's not that I don't like pretty pictures, it's just that I don't like to take them. If a scene looks too pretty, I lose interest. The photo of this farm along Staunton Road has some beautiful (or "pretty") elements, including the sky, which I would describe as more magnificent than pretty. But what makes the picture interesting to me, something you might want to actually look at for a while, is what is not especially pretty: the unpainted, failing fence; the large, jagged trees (were they damaged in an ice storm?); the metal trailer sitting between the wooden house and barn. I believe a photo can be better than pretty. Shutter: 1/40; Aperture: f/5.0; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.

Why Photoshop® Perfect?

Taylor Gestes
Senior pictures photo shoot
November 3, 2010
Photograph by Tom Atwood

First of all, I'm not saying Taylor Gestes is perfect. But she doesn't need to be photoshopped. No one does at age 17. Or maybe at any age. Photoshop® is computer software that allows not only basic digital enhancements like additional saturation and contrast, but it also enables changes in skin tone, eye and hair color, even body parts. Look at Taylor. What would you change about this photo? In fact, after the shoot, I asked her if she wanted me to do "skin corrections," to remove moles (what used to be known as "beauty marks"). "No," Taylor said. "Then it wouldn't be me."

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Photoshop®. But it is not photography. It is one of many newly emerging digital art forms that creates something photography cannot. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just that I don't believe in it. Or at least, I'm an agnostic.

Shutter: 1/100; Aperture: f/2.2; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm.

Energy

Farm on Staunton Road
November 4, 2010
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Anyone who was outside today could see (and feel) the energy in the atmosphere as a cold front moved through Madison County. Capturing that kind of energy in a photograph isn't easy, and to me, shots of the sky are often boring. What I like about this image is the tension. The shadows of the fence are leaning one direction, the clouds seem to be moving the other direction, and the farm stands in the middle, between earth and sky. Deep, isn't it? My point is that what is happening beneath the sky usually makes the photo more (or less) interesting.  Shutter: 1/100; Aperture: f/5.0; ISO: 100; Focal length: 24 mm.

Time of Day

Wisconsin River near Delavan
Photograph by Tom Atwood

A friend of mine is going to Spain next week and asked for advice about taking pictures of the scenery there. Instead of technical tips about camera settings like aperture and shutter speed, I encouraged him to avoid taking pictures in the middle of the day, to get up early and shoot at dawn, or in the late afternoon or evening. The light at the beginning and end of the day is almost always best for pictures, whether you're photographing a castle, or your wife. Or both. This photo of the Wisconsin River was taken in August before sunrise. Shutter: 1/100; Aperture: f/4.5; ISO: 200; Focal length: 18 mm.

The Way of Lights

Way of Lights
Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

Halloween is over, so now it is the Christmas Season, right? Just kidding. But soon you will be able to hop in your car and drive through the Way of Lights, a Christmas display featuring over one-million lights at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. To see this statue of Jesus, though, you have to get out of your car and walk a short path. This is a photographer's paradise. Point and shoot.  Shutter: 30 seconds; Aperture: f/7.1; ISO: 100; Focal length: 18 mm.